bilked
Senior Member
Oh god. If there are voting buttons for this project, can self-immolation be an option?
Toronto Artistry Condos | 103.5m | 29s | Tribute | Graziani + Corazza
- Thread starter urbandreamer
- Start date
AlbertC
Superstar
Yikes...an eyesore in the making already.
Towered
Senior Member
Plus it makes no attempt to save the nice historic building on the corner. This is a fail in every category, but can one honestly expect better of Graziani and Corraza? Worst architecture firm in the region.
Lyphe
Active Member
Not a fan of the street level portion and it feels very lacking in engagement given its prominent location across from the AGO.
In regards to engagement, there's not a lot of retail in total, and a complete lack of it at the east end. Were this massing and programming to be accepted as is, you would want at minimum an engaging public artwork along the sidewalk. At the west end, however, a fully fledged public square is proposed, which if finished with fountains, compelling landscaping, seating, and more art, etc., could easily be very engaging. It would also put St. Patrick's back into view from the street, so would improve the architectural quality of the intersection. The Victorian at the corner is okay, but it's not essential, and given the choice between it and a new public square, I'd be happy to drive a bulldozer into it myself.
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innsertnamehere
Superstar
perhaps the victorian storefront could be moved back to frame the square? and fix that damn parking area thing.
DonValleyRainbow
Senior Member
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Hmm. The Heritage Register site says the red brick building at 131 McCaul is listed, but it refers to St Patrick's Church at 137 McCaul. Seems to be a bit of a mapping error.
Digging through the Heritage Impact Statement:
The Statement basically concludes that there is no heritage value to note because it isn't listed or designated, and that the proposed development will enhance the views of those properties that are listed or designated.
mmkay.
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bilked
Senior Member
True, bulldozing the Victorian would open up sitelines of the church from McCaul. However this massing also wholly blots out the much more generous sitelines of the church from the east (not to mention calls for the destruction of about 20 mature trees):
https://www.google.ca/maps/place/29...4a22791a03f5c0!8m2!3d43.6545098!4d-79.3911341
The corner of Dundas and McCaul already has a celebratory public space with AGO/Gehry on SW and another one on way with the Rosalie Sharp renovation on SE. The Victorian/coffee shop plays well off the bars across the street. The parking elevator blotting out church views in the G&C massing, on the other hand, adds nothing to the public realm.
Obviously, this massing wouldn't make sense if it were pushed up to McCaul, such as to save views or trees on the east. But this massing is ill-suited to the site full-stop.
I'm not suggesting that any of the above make the site unbuildable, but it's a challenging location and requires a lot more sensitivity and imagination than this (IMHO) limp effort.
jje1000
Senior Member
ERA sometimes does this, I presume when pressured by developers looking to skimp on heritage preservation by downplaying heritage value.
They did this to a similar building for the 245 Queen St East development.
I think they should retain A&B, but move them back to open up the corner.
In my post, I'm not addressing any other aspects of the development beyond the public space itself. There are other issues with site plan, including those you've identified. I take issue with your identification of the Rosalie Sharp renovation as another celebratory public space to come, though: that can only really be characterized as the promise of a great looking piece of sidewalk, there's no new space there, just a better looking one. Sharp would be enhanced by a public square on the north side of Dundas: you'll want to have that spot to take in the Sharp's architecture and that of the AGO. Currently there are few places to view the AGO from anything other than right-close-up, and it will soon be the same for Rosalie Sharp. This is a city starved of public squares: I'd love to see one here.
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bilked
Senior Member
Fairly caught, a square it's not.
Square (with Victorian move?) would be great. but not at G&C's price.
greenleaf
Senior Member
This is an abomination. That ground level design is a grotesque street killing anti-pedestrian anti-urban piece of junk.
PMT
Senior Member
This project has been appealed to the OMB. A prehearing is scheduled for July 12, 2018: https://www.omb.gov.on.ca/ecs/CaseDetail.aspx?n=PL180020
ADRM
Senior Member
Public consult:
292 Dundas Street West
This application proposes to amend the Zoning By-law to allow the development of a 38-storey mixed-use including 382 residential units, retail uses, place of worship related community and office uses, and a daycare facility.
Meeting Details
Date: Monday March 19, 2018
Time: 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Place: The Michener Institute, 222 St. Patrick Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1V4
View the full meeting notice here
292 Dundas Street West
This application proposes to amend the Zoning By-law to allow the development of a 38-storey mixed-use including 382 residential units, retail uses, place of worship related community and office uses, and a daycare facility.
Meeting Details
Date: Monday March 19, 2018
Time: 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Place: The Michener Institute, 222 St. Patrick Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1V4
View the full meeting notice here
ponyboy
Active Member
I took a walk around the area yesterday. I would love to see a nice pocket park here that would also showcase the church to the north, but the building as proposed would be massive for this site.
Here are a few photos --
Here are a few photos --
